Aquatic Therapy Advantages to Relieve Arthritis Pain

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What is Aquatic Therapy?

Aquatic therapy is a relatively new form of exercise that has proven to be beneficial to all ages, body types, and health conditions. Today, we are looking specifically at the healing aspects of water therapy on people who have arthritis.

What is Arthritis?

As we know, arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. It causes pain and immobility in most sufferers in varying degrees of intensity, leaving some people in constant pain. Other than a proper diet to promote anti-inflammatory action, exercise, and the application of comfortable strain is pivotal in fighting the effects of arthritis.

How Does Aquatic Therapy Help Relieve Arthritis Pain?

Water is a godsend as a therapeutic medium for those who have arthritis. With its alleviation of gravity and its mild resistance (12 times that of air), it is a perfect method to promote resistance exercises while removing the harsh effects of gravity on the joints. Not only does this benefit the muscle around joints to grow stronger and cradle the joint, but the temperature of the water in heated pools can significantly relieve pain and soothe the muscles.

1. Buoyancy

The water’s buoyancy reduces the pressure put on joints, but the depth also plays a role in the various degrees of resistance. For instance, waist-deep water will support up to 50% of your body weight, and neck-deep water, in turn, supports up to 90% of your weight. The depth of water will determine the amount of resistance but also the amount of relief from gravitational impact.
With neck-deep water, the entire body under the surface benefits from the experience, which makes it the preferred depth for a full-body workout. Waist deep water is better for isolated muscle groups, such as an exclusively lower body exercise regime with more moving around.

2. Hydrostatic Pressure

There is another fantastic advantage to aquatic therapy for those swollen joints. Hydrostatic pressure (pressure exerted on your body by water) provides some compression, thus aiding in the reduction of swelling and joint inflammation. Therefore, the weight of the water, especially in deeper, warmer water, increases compression all over the body.

3. Resistance

Because of the resistance provided by water, an aquatic exercise session is the best way to build lean muscle tissue while burning more than the usual amount of calories. Your body is working harder than it would on land with less resistance. Therefore you are using more energy for the same motion. This energy usage will help sculpt your body while the slow, continuous movements burn more fat.

In the same vein, the resistance of water therapy increases your heart rate and promotes cardiovascular fitness. Water therapy is great for your heart.

What Are the Health Perks of Aquatic Therapy?

Unlike conventional aerobic exercise, aquatic exercises significantly reduce the risk of injury during impact, alleviates pressure to the joints, and work up a good sweat to go with that heartbeat.

1. Less Injury

While average aerobic training is more severe, due to impact, we need to note that water-based exercises also aid in maintaining your balance, which is a great help. The latter serves to help you better concentrate on the rage of motion the activity requires and is less likely to cause injury due to bad posture.

2. Improve Mobility

Those who especially suffer stiffness and pain due to arthritis will be grateful for the support of the water, which will significantly enhance mobility and relieve pain associated with the incorrect execution of movements.

3. Muscle Soothing

For those of us suffering from osteoarthritis (arthritis of the bone), pain relief associated with the back, knees, and hips is especially soothing during an aquatic session in a heated pool. As a mild, but effective discipline, water therapy attests to the fact that exercise delays the underlying disease process of osteoarthritis and is therefore highly recommended by medical professionals and personal trainers.

4. Widens Range of Motion

For those who aim for more significant muscle work, there are aquatic classes that take place in deep water, where the participants’ feet do not touch the floor of the pool, but they wear flotation vests for support. These classes are more intense and assist people with more severe damage in their joints and those who need more severe conditioning. These types of classes improve range of motion and increase the heart rate by more than the regular classes.

Aquatic Therapy Options

If you are concerned about monotony or boredom in water-based exercise, there are a plethora of varied activities available that you can enjoy.

  • Resistance training
  • Cardiovascular elevation
  • Joint exercises
  • Stretching exercises
  • Ai Chi classes
  • Tai Chi classes

A significant advantage of aquatic exercise for people living with arthritis is that you can do it all year round. Usually being held at indoor pools, most of which are well-heated, aquatic therapy allows you to maintain your exercise, no matter the season. For people who deal with constant symptoms of arthritic agony, the availability of aquatic classes throughout the year helps to motivate the range of motion and pain relief. Think about the sunburn and dehydration you avoid by training indoors during the hotter months.

Summing-up

With all the benefits mentioned earlier of aquatic therapy, it is easy to see why most fitness experts recommend it to patients with all related arthritis conditions, as well as people recovering from operations as rehabilitation. The advantages are endless. Whether you can swim or not, whether you are healthy or suffering from a health condition or injury, aquatic therapy is an effective and soothing way to get your regular exercise without risking pain.

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  • Resistance training
  • Cardiovascular elevation
  • Joint exercises
  • Stretching exercises
  • Ai Chi classes
  • Tai Chi classes” image-3=”” count=”4″ html=”false” css_class=””]